South Sudan and Sudan have discussed resuming South Sudanese crude oil exports via a Sudanese port and acknowledged the progress made. This follows several months of halted crude flows from South Sudan due to a pipeline rupture in conflict-ridden Sudan.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir met with Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, to address the restart of oil exports through Sudan. According to a statement from the president’s office, this meeting came after four months of work on the oil infrastructure.
“Foreign Affairs Minister Ramadan Abdalla Mohammed Goc confirmed that Sudanese engineers have completed the technical preparations needed for oil production to resume,” the statement added.
Engineers from South Sudan are expected to visit Sudan in the coming weeks to review progress and determine if the pipeline and related infrastructure are ready to restart crude oil flows from South Sudan.
Since the beginning of the year, South Sudan’s oil exports have significantly declined. The country, which relies on oil exports for 90% of its state revenues, is struggling financially due to the stalled exports caused by a pipeline rupture in neighboring Sudan, which is the only outlet for South Sudanese crude.
In March, Sudan declared force majeure on South Sudanese crude oil exports following a major pipeline rupture in an area with ongoing military conflict. The current conflict in Sudan began in April of last year, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, clashed with the Sudanese army in the capital, Khartoum.
Many of South Sudan’s oilfields are unable to transport their oil north via the pipeline in Sudan, resulting in a severe decline in revenues for South Sudan.